Innersole and method of making the same



vJune 27, 1944.l F. L. AYERS 2,352,510

INNERSOLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Jan. 26, 1943 Patented June 27, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INNERSOLE AND METHOD F MAKING THE SAME 4 Claims.

This invention relates to innersoles for shoes and to their manufacture, and has for an object to produce an innersole suitable for use in welt shoes and from relatively thin blank stock, but in which the inseam rib includes an integral portion of the blank, thus avoiding a floating innersole in the completed shoe. In some forms, also, this invention avoids the necessity of employing a sock lining within the shoe to cover stitching or other means for securing or helping to secure the rib to the innersole blank. It also avoids any necessity for employing a reinforcing fabric layer for the blank.

In accordance with this invention and in order to employ thin stock for the blank, no inside channel to produce a portion of the stitching rib is employed, and means separate from the blank but attached thereto and to a lip integral with the blank and produced by an outside channel is employed to provide substantial body to the inseam securing rib. This separate means may comprise a fabric strip such as a relatively wide bias tape folded longitudinally to form a bead yprojected from an unfolded widthwise portion of the strip.

From a more complete understanding of this invention, together with further objects and advantageous constructions, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an inverted perspective view of an innersole constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view on line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a piece of reinforcing strip material.

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views similar to Figure 2, but showing successive operations in preparing the innersole blank.

Figure 6 is a view similar to a portion of Figure 2, but showing'a modiiication.

Figure 7 is e. top plan view of a guide member by which the strip of Figure 3 may be formed up and wrapped about the integral lip of the innersole blank.

Figure 8 is a sectional view on line 8-8 oi Figure 7.

Figures 9 and 10 are sectional views on lines 9 9 and Ill-l0, respectively, of Figure 8.

Figures 11 and 12 are detail sectional views through the sole edge portion of a lasted shoe before and after the inseam trimming operation, respectively, the showing being somewhat distorted in order to better show the various parts.

a reinforcing strip of a different construction showing successive steps in preparing it for attachment to the sole blank.

Figure 15 is a view similar to a portion of Figure 2, but employing the strip ci Figure 14.

Figure 16 is a view similar to Figure 15, but showing a modification, the full line position indicating a preliminary stage in its manufacture, while the dotted lines show the rib in position for assembly of the innersole in a shoe.

Referring rst to Figures 1 to 5, a, relatively thin sole blank i is cut inwardly,v or channeled about its margin, as at 2, throughout that portion which is to be Iprovided with the inseamreceiving rib. This will be about the forepart of the shoe and it may also extend through the shank to the heel seat, as shown, or it may extend entirely around the innersole blank, depending upon the ma nners in which it is desired to last the heel seat and shank oi the shoe, all as is well understood in the art. The marginal lip 3 formed by the cutting or channeling operation rnay be bent away from the .plane of thev blank as shown in Figure 5. Next, a strip which may well be of bias fabric 1, shown detached in Figure 3, is progressively applied to the same face of the blank and substantially through the length of the lip 3, the inner .portion 5 of this fabric strip overlying and being secured, as by cement. to the face ci the blanlr i inwardly oi the lip, a portion 6 being folded about the lip 8, and an outer marginai portion fl ming applied to the marginal cut face of the innersole from which the lip was turned back. IThis is as shown in Figure 2. For the purpose of isecuring proper adhesion of the reinforcing strip t, Ypreferably the marginal portions of the blank with the lip turned up as in the condition of Figure 5, are sprayed with cement so that when the pre-cement-coated face of the fabric e is applied thereto, good adhesion will result.

The strip e may be progressively conformed and applied to the innersole blank with its lip 3 by a guide such as is illustrated in Figures 7 ta 10. this guide comprising a block l0 and a cover member li. At the entering end of the guide, the block lll is provided with a concavity I2 from side to side, which will produce a transverse curvature to the strip e inserted therein. This transverse concavlty gradually merges into the contour shown in Figure l0, comprising lat depressions i3 and i4 at slightly different levels, between which is an inward relatively narrow extension l5. The cover member Il has a n Figures 13 and 14 are cross sectional views, of u i6 which extends into the concavity l2 and nxtends part way through the guide and about which the strip 4 is folded intermediate its width and which guides the strip into position with the sides of its fold on opposite faces of the lip 3 of the innersole. the cover member ii toward its opposite end having a slot I8 to receive thisi lip in alinement with the fin I6 of the cover member. 'I'he guide, as shown in Figure 8, is arranged at an inclination to the plane of the innersole blank so as to direct .the strip 4 thereto and simultaneously to fold an intermediate portion of its width around the lip 3 and to present the side marginal portions against the corresponding faces of the blank, both inwardly and Y 'Ihis construction. whether the reinforcing strip is secured by cement or stitching, Provides a substantial stitch-receiving rib, a portion of which is formed by an integral part of the blank l, but as this construction requires no inside channeling, a relatively thin blank may be employed, since the feather left about the margin when the lip 3 is lifted may be relatively thin, and furthermore, this feather is reinforced by the outer marginal portion of the reinforcing strip 4.

In Figures 11 and 12, an innersole so constructed is shown as temporarily secured to a last 25 and the upper materials 23 and 21, and a welt 23 secured thereto bythe inseam stitching 29. Figure 12 shows the lasted shoe after the inseam trimming operation by which the projecting portions of the welt, upper materials, and stitching rib have been trimmed off slightly above the line of inseam stitching. As, however, there is an integral portion of the innersole blank including, which are therefore somewhat distorted.

From the foregoing description of certain embodiments of this invention. it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. An innersole comprising a blank cut inwardly about its margin to form a lip, and a fabric strip having a portion overlying and secured to the face of said innersole inwardly of said lip and having a longitudinally folded rib portion enclosing said lip and forming therewith an inseam-receiving lrib projecting from said face.

2. An innersole comprising a blank cut inwardly about its margin to form a lip, and a bias fabric strip having a portion folded to enclose and hold said lip projecting from the face of said blank, the marginal portions of said strip overlying and being secured to said face inwardly of said lip and outwardly of said lip to the face of said out beneath said lip.

3. The method of making an innersole, which comprises cutting inwardly about the desired length of the margin of an innersole blank to form a marginal lip, and progressively lifting said lip and conforming and securing thereto a folded strip of bias fabric.

faces of said blank inwardly and outwardly of said up' FRED L AYERS 

